


Nothing New Under the Water

by fencer_x



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, merman au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2019-03-07 14:36:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13436871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fencer_x/pseuds/fencer_x
Summary: Shamelessly snatched the Merman AU dreamed up by tumblr user sakura-rose12 and kind of ran with it; Rin is the exalted Crown Prince of the Sharque Clan who'd really rather be out having fun and adventure, while Haruka's a run-of-the-mill border security guard for the Dolfin Clan who would really rather be doing absolutely nothing. Except for swimming—he likes swimming, and Rin does too. Perhaps peace between two warring clans won't be as difficult to achieve as one might imagine...





	1. Chapter 1

Falling for the sworn enemy of his kingdom hadn't been part of the plan. Not that, admittedly, the 'plan' was much of a plan to begin with--methodical and logical, ruthless in their attention to detail though Sharques may have been touted, Rin had never really been one to accede to the status quo and found that he derived more enjoyment in swimming outside the boundaries of societal expectations, flirting with adventure and taboo and all those sorts of _exciting_ things charted in the old lore. 

Which, in retrospect, probably went a long ways toward explaining how he'd gotten himself into this situation in the first place, but the fact remained that, at least initially, falling for a Dolfin had never been anything Rin had _intended_ to happen. It just…had. 

He'd been swimming; not swimming to get from point A to point B, not swimming because his Most Exalted Father had summoned him to his chambers using that little _remora_ Nitori (honestly, the boy was like a parasite at times; always nipping at Rin's fins like he had nothing better to do--it was getting more and more difficult these days to ditch him and sneak out of the castle). Just _swimming_ for love of the movement, the sinuous back and forth, side to side swaying as he slipped through the water.

He'd caught a flash of silver near the surface, darting and weaving together in a great dark ball--the school of tuna was massive, but more importantly _fast_ , and he broke free of his lazy trawling through the water to give chase. He'd contemplated picking one off--and maybe he would, when he tired, which was looking to be no time soon--but soon lost himself in the thrill of the race, putting on bursts of speed to try and corral the school, only to have the mass move as one in the complete opposite direction and sending Rin whirling, giddy with glee, to correct himself and begin the hunt anew. 

The massive schools of these racing fish never traveled to the depths in which his Kingdom lay hidden, most meals snatched from a family's private school or, for grander affairs, provided by the Fisheries Guild--Rin had witnessed one of the Hunts (or at least, the opening ceremonies) when he was younger, his own father leading the charge in name if not in actuality--open waters were too dangerous to let Royalty dart about willy-nilly--and his eyes had grown wide with awe (and no small amount of envy) as he'd watched the Guilders racing out and up, powering through the water in a wave of bodies. He'd stupidly asked his father, later, if he might grow up to be a Fisheries Guilder but had been informed that Princes were destined for higher purposes, greater fates. Rin hadn't really been able to imagine a 'higher purpose' than powering up from the depths to the surface.

He'd just made a grab for one of the stragglers--mostly to scare it, to feel the silky, slimy brush of its scales and spook it further into the school--fingers outstretched as he locked eyes with the frightened creature he'd pinned his sights on--when his arm was nearly torn clean off by a gray torpedo _shooting_ past, his vision utterly compromised by the shock and curtain of bubbles left in the wake of…whatever it had been.

The state of affairs was clarified in short order, though, as a loud, sharp chittering broke the serenity of the open ocean, the school making a mad dash for the current a few dozen meters below them while Rin whipped his head about stupidly in an effort to locate the source of what could only be described as _cackling_.

Fucking _dolphins._

The Dolfin Clan was bad enough, roguish bullies all of them, cocky and self-assured and complete and utter _assholes_ if they caught anyone from a Clan they Did Not Approve Of out and about in open water alone--but dolphins themselves, any shred of sentience removed and replaced with animal instinct that only remotely reflected respect for the lives of other ocean-goers? _Those_ were the ones you had to watch out for. Smug little pricks that ganged up on shoals in pods because they weren't _capable_ of snatching a meal for themselves like any respectable marine animal.

Rin dropped back, though, fists clenched at his sides and gills seething--because yeah, dolphins were annoying little shits, but any Sharque worth his salt understood that you don't fuck with dolphins unnecessarily. Not unless you wanted to be found floating on the surface half dead with gulls pecking at your remains--and Rin was rather keen to keep his entrails on the inside where they belonged.

He powered into a turn as quickly as possible, before the pod caught sight of him and deemed him fair game for sport--when he slammed, quite inelegantly, into a hard chest, sending himself and his victim into an awkward spin. His heart rate spiked, panicking that he'd been cornered by one of the damn animals without knowing it--but the fingers that clenched his biceps tightly, struggling to right the both of them, spoke of something else.

The bubbles cleared, and in the dimness, the sunlight from the surface filtered through meters of dark water, Rin braced his hands against firm pectorals much like his own and shoved hard enough to place a respectable amount of space between himself and the stranger. Whoever it was--a quick glance at the tail structure informed Rin with dawning dread that he was no longer in open water; he'd drifted into Dolfin territory--didn't seem entirely put off by what Rin likely would've clocked someone for doing to him (assuming that one of the jumpy Royal guards didn't harpoon them first), instead simply floating motionless, staring silently, before directing his gaze beyond Rin to the dolphins who had now turned their attentions on the unfortunate tuna school. They hadn't made it to the current in time, it seemed.

Rin followed his gaze, confused and breathing hard, before glancing back, every muscle tense and stiff and ready to fight, because flight was no longer an option; Sharques could outdistance Dolfins in short bursts, but in the long run--say, the distance back to the castle, given how far Rin had foolishly traveled on this particular little excursion (Gou was going to bitch him out, he knew)--he couldn't hope to keep pace with whoever this was, and while Rin liked to think he was fast, had boasted at many a soiree that he could outpace any Dolfin to the tittering giggles of the daughters of the nobility, he'd never had occasion to prove himself and was most assuredly _not_ looking forward to testing his claim here and now.

"…Are they yours?"

Rin straightened at the odd question, remarkably placid and unassuming--but equal parts confusing. "Are…what mine?"

The Dolfin cocked his head in the direction of the pod but altered his expression not a bit. "The tuna." When Rin just blinked stupidly, he clarified, "Technically they're in our territory, so I suppose I'm supposed to report them if they're yours." He wrinkled his nose, as if the very thought of doing so was distasteful--which, apparently it was, as he added in an irritated mutter to himself, "Really don't feel like filing a report today…"

Rin tried to force his throat to work, glancing back and forth between the shoal and the dolphins and this strange Dolfin who seemed far too laid back and blasé to be full Dolfin (maybe he was a half? Perhaps his mother was a Turdle or Manaty), before managing with a broken squeak, "Th--they're not mine! I mean, I was following them, but I'm not a Guilder or anything--" And when the Dolfin's brows knit in confusion at this, Rin entertained the sudden thought that he knew nothing of Dolfin civilization beyond what he'd divined from the few ill-fated negotiation settlements he'd had the distinct displeasure of sitting in on. For all he knew, Guilds didn't exist in Dolfin society. "Just--they're not mine," he repeated with more conviction, and the Dolfin must have bought it, for he spared the shoal one last glance--and another for Rin, before shrugging to himself and then twisting his body into a beautiful corkscrew and powering away with remarkable speed for the few strokes he executed, not a single movement wasted and leaving Rin to breathe in the bubbles generated in his wake, a fizzy high that compounded the panic and excitement of staring down what he could only assume had been a Dolfin border security member.

Oh man, Gou was going to _flip_.


	2. Chapter 2

The Dolfin's name was, apparently, Haruka. Rin had had to give up his own name to receive it (taking care to leave out his family name and associations involved therein; no need to have the entire Dolfin Clan up in arms because a Sharque prince was stalking their borders), and even then only after gratingly reminding the asshole that it was polite to name yourself when another offered his name first, but he'd won it all the same, and he wasn't entirely sure he liked the little flutter of victory that bounced about his chest when he succeeded. Success was to be expected—not surprisingly gained, and such an insignificant victory was hardly one to boast about.

Haruka was, as he'd suspected, a border guard, and while he showed no issue with giving Rin details of his posting when he felt them benign enough—he'd held the post for five months, had been appointed there directly out of the Academy (though he refused to elaborate on whatever that was) in light of his speed and marksmanship, which would allow him to cover a wider range than some of his colleagues, and he quite liked his position, as it granted him a modicum of peace and allowed him free rein to swim to his heart's content so long as he never left his section unguarded—the suspicious glare he cut Rin when he was foolish enough to ask questions that might be construed as efforts to pinpoint weaknesses in the border kept their conversations decidedly limited.

After all, what else _was_ there to discuss? 

Rin settled his hands behind his head, unfocusing his eyes and letting the soft, dim light from the surface filtering down through the water blur even more in his vision as he swept along on his back painting a lazy circle around Haruka. "Don't you get _bored_ out here, though? There's nothing to _do_."

In the center of the ring Rin had created, Haruka floated calmly upright, sinking down a meter or so before executing a little kick to bring himself back up again, repeating the process as he bobbed like a seabird on the waves while attending to the tightening of the straps on the spear he kept on his person—standard issue border weaponry, it seemed. "You could always go play with the tuna again."

Rin jolted, nearly sliding into a tailspin, and his scales almost _bristled_ in offense, like a puffer fish. "I wasn't _playing_ , I'll have you know. Sharques don't _play_. We're not _Dolfins_." He gave a sniff. "I was racing them."

"And losing, it looked like," was the flat response, which Rin pointedly ignored.

"Besides—I'm tired of the tuna," Rin practically pouted. He arched his head backward until he was diving down, quickly swinging himself upright again in a tight loop as he backtracked his circle around Haruka upright now. "I need something more challenging." His eye slid over to Haruka, still intently focused on adjusting the harpoon tip of his spear to align flush with the wooden staff, and he unthinkingly drew to a stop, hanging practically dead in the water.

"What." The question was flat, and Haruka refused to look at him.

"…What if we—"

"No."

"But you don't even know what I was going to—"

"No."

"—say just n—dammit _stop that_." He punched the water, sending a flutter of bubbles wriggling up to the surface. "You didn't know." And now Haruka did fix him with a look, blank but heavy. "…All right, fine, smartass—if you're so—"

"I'm on duty. I'm not going to leave my post."

"Who said you had to leave your post?" Rin tried, ignoring the irritating realization that Haruka had, in fact, known exactly what Rin was attempting to lure him into doing. "Maybe you're just making your border checks on your side of things—and me? I'm simply an innocent little Sharque out for a refreshing swim in what is, I'm sure you're well aware, open ocean. If it just so _happens_ that our paths lead us in the same direction, along a straight route, and I _happen_ to kick your tail racing to…oh, that outcropping—" He pointed to a dark spot on the ocean floor a few hundred meters ahead, just barely visible in the dim light, "—then well, we'll chalk it up to a happy coincidence."

Haruka followed his gesturing, mapping out the distance with his eyes but giving no visible sign of agreeing or otherwise. "…A happy coincidence?"

Rin's grin widened. "You'll be more sport than tuna, won't you?" And Haruka's brows furrowed, the only evidence of what Rin suspected was rather intense irritation; all the better. He was starting to realize that he'd need to goad the Dolfin on rather mercilessly if he was to see a decent challenge brought before him. 

Haruka glanced him over once, pursing his lips, then turned his focus on the outcropping Rin had pointed out. He clenched his fingers tight about his spear before loosening them again, turning the shaft over in his palm a few times in consideration—and then brought one arm over his head, fist tight about the shaft, and heaved the weapon forward with a harsh grunt of effort, the pair watching as it streaked through the water, coming to rest embedded in the soft sand near the base of the outcropping and churning up a cloud around it which was already starting to settle again within moments.

Rin blinked a few times in stark, shocked confusion, glancing back and forth between the spear in the sand and Haruka. "…I don't…get it, why did you—"

"I dropped my spear," Haruka intoned flatly, keeping a straight face—which didn't seem all that difficult. "I should go retrieve it." Rin clearly wasn't catching on, still a bit thrown by the sudden movement that he really should have seen coming but _hadn't_ , and he reflected distantly that if Haruka had wanted to gut him, right here, he would've been more than capable of doing so. Sure, he would've started a war, but Haruka didn't know that, and Rin didn't intend for him to find out. He swallowed thickly, gills flapping against his sides as he tried to calm his heart, and distantly caught Haruka reminding him, "It's all the way over there. _I need to go retrieve it_."

And suddenly it made sense—and Rin's heart calmed, the pressure in his chest lightening as he realized the game Haruka was playing. _His_ game, finally. He fought to keep his grin of confidence and challenge from waxing too _goofy_ and excited, crowing, "Well then, my good border guard—why don't you go and get it? I'm just going to go for a little jaunt through the open water, if it's all the same to you."

"You're not in my territory. It's none of my business what you do," was Haruka's response, delivered so cleanly that, if Rin hadn't known better, he'd have thought Haruka genuinely serious. Then again, there was always the prospect that he _was_ serious, and his words just happened to carry the unintended double entendre of _flirtation_. 

Whatever the truth, the challenge had still been issued and taken up, and Rin wasn't about to grant Haruka time to change his mind and slip off to signal for a patrol to come and roust Rin from the border, so he pinwheeled his arms to right himself and sidle up alongside Haruka, parallel to the border and body tense with energy and excitement. "So? Will you give the signal, or shall—"

" _Go_ ," Haruka snapped, and Rin would later be ashamed of how quickly his body responded to the single word, nerves firing and muscles springing to life as his tail whiplashed behind him to send him powering forward before his mind even registered that the race had begun.

Though he doubted anything would have come of either of them crossing the border, they kept to their respective sides, Haruka a sleek gray blur in the water beside him, form masked by bubbles streaming off of him as they powered toward the goal. Rin was ahead by a nose from the start, body reacting before his mind caught up, but Haruka slowly by surely ate away at his lead with calm, powerful strokes, his own mind very obviously not distracted by Rin in the water next to him.

They arced downward toward the ocean floor, light leaving them as it grew too weak to filter down from the surface above, and the temperature dropped, the depths chilling them through; Rin could handle the cold in short bursts, but the shudder that ripped through him when he passed through a particularly chilly patch of ocean made him long for the warm vents that allowed his kingdom to prosper at the depths it did when they might have otherwise made themselves easy targets for other Folk—like Dolfins—had they been relegated to warmer shallows.

The chill was beginning to sap his energy, and Haruka's lead grew from a nose to a head to nearly half a body-length when he finally slapped a hand against the outcropping, wrenching his spear from the sand as he sailed over the rock and whipped around again to see how Rin had fared.

Rin's fingers were stiff and shaking when he brushed them over a patch of moss to signal his arrival at their goal and his breathing labored. Dilated pupils brought the ocean around them into stark contrast—but Haruka's features, his expression, was blurred as his vision swam. He shook his head, rubbing at his eyes, but his movements were slow and dull, and he couldn't make his hands into proper fists. It was just cold, too _cold_ , too cold to even care that he'd lost the race (and _badly_ at that), too cold to notice that he was listing to the side, drifting into Dolfin territory and breaking countless tentative treaties in the process. He seized in place, trying to shiver life back into his muscles, but everything was too tense, hurt to even move—even his gills felt tired, overtaxed and fanning pathetically with nothing going through.

He knew his depths, knew his limits, so why had he chosen _this_ as their goal? Why had he pushed himself, past his limits, for sport? What had made him think he could compete with a Dolfin in distance swimming at depth? Sheer pride? Ego? Or was he seriously _that desperate_ for companionship.

There was no discounting it was some combination of all three.

A shoulder came up, nestling under his own as his arm was draped across a sturdy back, and his stomach lurched as he was jerked upward, water rushing over his features like he was racing again. Haruka hauled him up and up and up, from the cold depths, his spear abandoned on the ocean floor, into the warmer shallows near the surface, the play of light on Rin's skin eventually rousing him back to full consciousness. He leaned pitifully against Haruka, limbs still twitching and stiff, but managed to flush warm, rich water through his system, which finally succeeded in drawing him back to clarity. 

He blinked lethargically, dead weight against Haruka who had the good grace not to tease or deride him for his foolish challenge. They hung there in the silence, the surface a thin, silver film a mere meter above them, and said nothing for several long moments. Rin wondered distantly where they were—open ocean, miles into Dolfin territory, directly above the Sharque palace fathoms below, it was impossible to tell—but his wits still failed him.

"…They always told us…" Haruka started softly, but either he cut himself off or Rin didn't catch the rest of what he'd said, for the words never went anywhere else until he tried again a moment later, and with clearer thoughts, Rin understood: "They always told us, in—training. Swim down if you meet a Sharque. That they can't handle depth for more than short bursts. That…" Rin was close, head listing to the side and ear next to Haruka's mouth so that the sound didn't have far to travel. "…That you're weak, vulnerable there." He put pressure into his grip on Rin's wrist, pulling his arm closer and wrapping it tighter to his body, and Rin wanted to curl into the warmth so badly, because his core was still chilled and he hadn't the strength yet to move his body, pump warm blood into his muscles again.

Rin tried to snort superiorly, but it hurt too much and just came out a weak wheeze. "…Know what they tell us? If we meet a Dolfin." Haruka didn't respond, but Rin didn't really expect him to by now, so he just let his head drift as it had been trying to for the past few minutes, and rested it against Haruka's shoulder, releasing a shuddering sigh. "…Swim away. As fast as you can."


	3. Chapter 3

Rin practically screeched his surprise when a hand whipped out and yanked on the scraggly ends of his hair as he attempted to slip by in the shadows cast by the looming pillars. It was always dark, here in the depths, but Sharques generally experienced little difficulty navigating in the low light—and if nature ever failed them bodily, the vents helped illuminate the outside, and cleverly corralled little lantern fish provided luminance indoors. Soft light from their bodies now danced along the corridor as Rin swam past—until rudely jerked behind a pillar by his head.

"The _fuck_ Gou—!"

"Don't you dare take that tone with me," she hissed, eyes flashing with irritation, and she released her grip on his hair only to settle her hands at her hips. Her tail whipped in the water, displaying her displeasure for all to see—even though Rin very much doubted anyone would be out and about at this hour. "I had to cover for you— _again_ , you know. Sooner or later the curfew wards are going to start noticing none of the guards have ever seen you out 'making rounds'."

"So what if they do?" Rin muttered, rubbing at his head where she'd nearly yanked his hair out by the root. "It's none of their damn business where I go."

"You're the _crown prince_. It's very _much_ their business if you're not on palace grounds!" She sighed and crossed her arms, carriage shifting from one of irritation and anger to resignation. "…How much longer are you going to keep this up?"

"Keep what up?" he returned absently, feigning ignorance.

She rolled her eyes. "It was one thing when you were just slipping out for the afternoon—but you haven't shown your face at Court for _weeks_ , and you sneak back into the palace only under cover of night, having spent your day who _knows_ where—" She pursed her lips, worry in her gaze. "…People are starting to talk."

"So let them talk." He twisted in the narrow hall and prepared to jet off to find another route back to his chambers.

" _Their_ talk will lead to _Father_ talking—with you." Rin froze, casting a careful glance over his shoulder. "…I know where you go, Oniichan. Please don't treat me like I'm still some small fry that must be coddled and shielded from the world."

He tutted under his breath and ran a hand through his hair. "It's no one's business—yours or anyone else's—what I'm doing. I see to my duties here as they need accomplishing, and I'm not breaking any treaties or consorting with the enemy. What I do in my free time is of no concern to the Kingdom as it poses no threat to anyone."

"Some would argue otherwise—"

He rounded on her, " _Who?_ "

She held up her hands defensively. "I simply speak in abstract!" She then steeled herself, swallowing. "…But surely you must understand that there's no love lost between Sharque and Dolfin clans. Platonic or—" She searched for words that she likely hoped wouldn't cause further offense, "— _well-intentioned_ though your liaison—"

"L— _liaison_?" Rin sputtered, flush obvious even in the darkness; she made it all sound so _illicit_.

"—may be, I doubt the Council will see it as such. At best, they'll charge the Dolfins with seducing you to obtain Clan secrets—"

" _Seducing—_ " An empty palace hallway in the middle of the night was probably not the _best_ location to be having this discussion.

"—and at worst…" She trailed off, glancing away—and Rin really didn't need her to finish her thought, perfectly capable of filling in the blank himself. Her brows drew together and she floated closer, one hand resting on his arm. "…I just worry for you, Oniichan. I'm glad you seem to be enjoying yourself with your…Dolfin, but…" She squeezed. "Help lay some of these rumors to rest? Show your face at Court tomorrow, or accept one of the banquet invitations I know Nitori has been beside himself with worry over not being able to deliver." Rin snorted under his breath, and she smiled weakly. "Just— _think_ about it at least? Put on a show, and they'll likely leave you to your wild ways for another few weeks until they ache for another scandal to sink their teeth into."

Rin rolled his eyes and wrinkled his features. "Bottom-feeders, all of them."

"Respected members of our society, I think you mean."

"You heard me," he muttered, but punctuated it with a sigh and shook his head. "Whatever—fine, I'll…think of something. But—" he added insistently, "—not tomorrow." Gou's brows drew together in reprimand, and before she could open her mouth to protest, he pressed his point. "We already made plans! He only gets, like, two days of leave a month—and I can't exactly just _drop by_ his place or send a messenger or something to let him know I won't be able to make it." He held his hands out. "Unless you have some suggestion?"

Thankfully, she didn't, but she still seemed rather unimpressed with his situation. "…I'm serious, you know. If this gets out—it won't simply be _you_ with his tail on the line. I'd remember that, if I were you."

If she only knew how superbly unsuccessful he'd been in any and all efforts to forget that fact.

* * *

Haruka's days off were, it turned out, few and far between—and Rin didn't intend to waste the chance to swim free of the Dolfin border and finally break into open water with Haruka. Chatter was all well and good, and seeing who could make it to the surface fastest from a dead start was an interesting way to race without risking a repeat of their initial challenge, but Rin had pretty much memorized Haruka's entire stretch of border, down to the number of sand dollars dotting the floor, and longed to be loosed of the chain tying him to Haruka's post.

"I promise you'll love the place—and I swear you've never been before."

"So you've said. Several times before," Haruka intoned, keeping his eyes fixed on the unending blue spread out before them. Rin kept pace, just a shoulder ahead at Haruka's side, glancing over every free moment he could spare—because honestly, he was more excited than he had any business being. He was a prince, royalty born and bred, and here he was practically beside himself with glee; it really _was_ for the best that Haruka not know his bloodline—as he was disgracing the throne well and truly right about now. 

"Well, it bears repeating," Rin insisted superiorly, putting on a burst of speed that Haruka matched far more quickly than Rin liked, if he were honest. 

Gou's warning had been dire, and he did appreciate the risks he was taking, associating with a Dolfin—but he hadn't had his Coming-of-Age ceremony yet, which meant the lay-Folk wouldn't recognize him out and about, and he strongly doubted that any nobles at Court would frequent the places he intended on inviting Haruka. Open waters were just that— _open_ , and none could harass a Sharque for associating with a Dolfin (or vice versa) there.

They'd been swimming for a good hour in more or less silence, the tension broken only by Rin's occasional attempts to stir conversation—but Haruka rarely graced him with more than a monosyllabic response or wordless expression, until eventually Rin gave up altogether, occupying himself with their goal while stealing surreptitious glances at his companion that he would berate himself for later. Eventually, though, the seabed drew up to meet them, hemming them in from the bottom up as they entered waters far shallower than either of their Clans typically entered. Craggy rock formations, inlets and underwater caves, began to replace the soft white sand of the sea floor, and Rin didn't miss the way Haruka's focus grew sharp, his attention obviously fixated on the signs of sea life he'd likely never encountered before.

He reached over and tapped Haruka on the shoulder to call his attention, pointing to an unobtrusive cave mouth gaping open at the edge of an underwater cliff, and the pair turned in concert to alter their course, headed for the opening.

They weren't alone; that much was becoming obvious, and around them—not so very near, but still too close for comfort to Folk used to having room to stretch their fins without worrying about neighbors—milled all sorts of Folk, some even Rin had admittedly never laid eyes on before. Still, he reasoned to himself, the popularity of the area attested to the value of the goods he was about to treat Haruka to. He ribbed Haruka with an elbow to ease the tension when he noticed his friend growing visibly uncomfortable with their surroundings. "We're close to Sharque territory, but don't worry—I'll vouch for you."

"You've—been here? Before?" A nod, and Haruka's expression grew troubled. "…I've never been this far outside our borders…"

"Ah…" Rin began, quickly wracking his mind for an explanation for his worldliness that _didn't_ involve casually mentioning being Crown Prince. "Well—like I said, it's close to our borders. But—we're still in open water, so it's no big deal for you to be here." Haruka's expression remained blank as he took in the sights, wriggling out of the way when a Wraye swooped overhead and blocked out the sun filtering down from the surface. Fearing that perhaps this had been too sudden a stroke, Rin urged Haruka to follow close behind with a jerk of his head and made for the lip of the cave he'd pointed out, slipping through the relatively narrow opening into a vast, spacious cavern that comfortable held a fair few other Folk already, milling about and conversing across Clan lines.

They wouldn't stand out here, at least—no one would take notice of a solitary Sharque or Dolfin any more than they might spare a second glance for the pair of Seeles in the corner or the burly Orqa tending the bar and taking orders from patrons as they swam up. Open water meant no Clans—but also no Clan _protection_ , and it was folly to venture out this far without being prepared for any Folk you might meet, for better or worse. Still, Rin had been here before on excursions over the years and felt comfortable inviting Haruka along. Provided they kept their heads down and didn't invite trouble, none would come looking for them.

"Wait here—I'll make our orders."

"Eh?" Haruka looked flustered, worried—and Rin felt a little thrill shudder through his chest; it was something _new_ , an expression he'd never seen before, not in weeks together, and already this trip had been _worth it_ for that alone. "Wait—what is this place?"

He cocked a brow confidently. "The Benthos—a tidal eatery; have you never been?" He made every effort to keep his tone light and innocent, knowing well from Haruka's behavior that he had definitely never been anywhere like this before. 

Haruka kept his gaze darting around uneasily, though, shaking his head. "I've…never been out of echo-shot of a border post…" And _that_ was curious; Haruka's longing for open waters and vast seas to swim rivaled Rin's own…and yet he'd never cut himself free of the protection of a Clan? What a waste.

He _hmph_ ed softly and clapped Haruka on the shoulder before slipping back over to the bar to place an order—an assortment would do; he didn't know what kind of fish Dolfin generally preferred, and a decent spread was sure to satisfy the both of them. He rattled off the order to the surly Orqa who clearly didn't appreciate a Sharque who seemed altogether too full of himself treating the Benthos like he owned the joint, but grudgingly took Rin's coin and instructed him to find a rock up top where one of the servers would bring over their fare in short order.

Rin jerked his head as he passed Haruka, instructing him to follow, and confused though he might have been by the sudden change in location, Haruka dutifully followed behind silently, squinting in the gloom as they powered up to the surface, breaking into salty, warm air with a splash. "You have to take the house specialty on the surface," Rin clarified, glancing about for an unoccupied set of crags they could drift near. "The water spoils it."

"Water…spoils it?" Haruka wrinkled his nose, seemingly disgusted with such a foreign concept. "…That makes no sense." He followed Rin with his eyes as he hauled himself up from the water to drape himself awkwardly over one of the slipper rocks, breathing heavily with the effort. "What _exactly_ are we eating?"

Rin opted to let the meal speak for itself—as mere moments later, a turtle paddled over with a piece of driftwood tied to its back with long strands of seaweed and kelp, which Rin gently unbound to relieve the creature of its burden. He placed the plank on the rock between himself and Haruka, who had opted to stay in the water rather than try to maneuver up onto the rocks. "Tada!" When Haruka simply raised a dubious brow, Rin huffed, "It's jerky. Fish jerky."

"And what on earth is _that_ —" But he didn't finish his question, as Rin stuffed a strip of tuna into his mouth, eyes lighting up at the face Haruka made which swiftly shifted to one of interested curiosity, the strip of meat soon slipping through his lips as he chewed.

"I dunno how they do it—but it's salty and dry and _delicious_!"

Haruka swallowed thickly, smacking his lips and expression reflecting concern. "It's…so _chewy_ though."

"That's half the fun! Here—" He ripped a slice of whitefish in half, pressing it into Haruka's hand. "Try another—there's mackerel and salmon, too, and some—"

Haruka's hand flew faster than the eye could follow, snatching up the entire strip of mackerel jerky and ripping into it with startling vigor. Rin blinked, studying Haruka's face intently to see how the treat was being received—and his stomach lightened almost nauseatingly at the pleased flush that painted Haruka's cheeks as he savored the mackerel. "I guess…you like mackerel then, huh?" Haruka responded by finishing off the strip, closing his eyes in savory ecstasy as the jerky slipped down his gullet.

Rin snorted to himself, shaking his head, and ripped off a piece of the cod, savoring the salty sweet brine as he rolled the strip of meat around in his mouth to extract all the flavor imparted by the curing. He didn't know how they managed it—and didn't care, really, either. But the Benthos served the best jerky for miles of coastline, and that was all that mattered.

Haruka picked at the other slices of fish with less enthusiasm than the mackerel, but the frown he turned on the empty plank when they'd both had their fill said that he'd enjoyed the treat nonetheless and that Rin had made a very wise decision in choosing to share this not-so-well-kept secret with his friend. He slid back into the water with quite a bit more elegance than he'd demonstrated on trying to haul himself out, clapping Haruka on the shoulder with a reassuring, "We can always come back again—and we'll get you a whole platter of mackerel next time. Promise."

Haruka made a face that said he knew he was being teased, and he slipped under the surface wordlessly, making for deeper waters with swift, powerful strokes that both beckoned Rin to give chase and warned against drawing too close. Rin shook his head and shot off after him, laughing as he called for Haruka to slow down—but he simply poured more power into his stroke.

And Rin, not keen on being left behind, dutifully followed.


	4. Chapter 4

"But—what if you get transferred?" Haruka's hard stare didn't change, shifting disdainfully from Rin, to the deep, endless blue of the open ocean beyond, to adjusting the stiff bands around his arm marking his rank. "I mean, it's not _out of the question_ , right? You could get assigned to some random other section of border—am I supposed to just go around to every single post I can find until I come across you again?"

Haruka shrugged ambivalently. "You could always ask." He jerked a thumb to his right. "There's a crossing station a league that way; I'm sure they'd have the information."

Rin crossed his arms over his chest and snorted, tail swiping a lazy swathe through the water as he looped about in a circle. "Yeah—I'm sure that would go over _really_ well. A lone Sharque who just happens to wander near their borders making inquiries about the location of a member of Dolfin border security certainly won't raise any eyebrows." He cut a sharp glare Haruka's way. "Warring Clan members can't just float over borders you know."

"We're not officially at war."

"You seem keen to start one."

"It was just a suggestion."

"Shitty suggestions are better left unspoken," Rin reminded, but the edge had faded from his voice; arguing like this with Haruka tended to wear on him—and given their contrasting personalities, such clashes were unfortunately not rare. Rin sometimes wondered why the Dolfin high command didn't drag Haruka along to negotiations, for surely an hour or so railing against his brick-like personality would have the Sharques so frustrated and exhausted they'd just give in to whatever demands the rival Clan set. He wiped his hands over his face, grumbling into his palms, "It's not that easy to gain passage over borders for some of us."

"I don't see you offering any alternatives."

"Just—" Rin quickly righted himself, locking gazes with Haruka, "— _don't_ get transferred. All right?" He gestured to the ocean floor meters below. "Stay here. Where I can find you."

And truly, he wasn't stupid; he was well aware that Haruka likely had no control over orders from superiors switching him from one section of border to the next for whatever reason. While Rin hadn't yet been briefed on the finer points of the Dolfin military establishment, he could surmise well enough that subordinates weren't given leeway to refuse direct orders from their superiors. 

Haruka, however, opted not to press the point, instead just thinning his lips into a line that all but spoke _so annoying_ and redirected his attention to the open water—which was not a proper response, but one Rin would accept. One way or another, Haruka always gave Rin what he needed—even if it wasn't necessarily what he wanted. And even if Rin couldn't honestly tell the difference between a _really really want_ and a _need_ , Haruka seemed to have no such difficulty and obliged Rin when those needs manifested. Whether Haruka maintaining his post was a want or a need, Rin didn't particularly want to address with himself right now—but he supposed Haruka would know how to handle it if ever the issue came up.

Gou had continued to prattle and needle about his distance from the palace and all of its trappings—but her warnings couldn't keep him confined to the castle walls, well-intentioned and logical though he understood them to be. He'd finally found something worth _risking_ himself for—a companion who, despite his dour moods and clearly lacking conversational skills, intrigued Rin and didn't seem to care what Clan he belonged to. And while Rin understood that many would argue that friendship was hardly worth risking an escalation of hostilities and possibly all-out war, Rin maintained that they needed to _shut the fuck up_ and let him handle himself. 

"…Oi, are you even listening?" Something bumped Rin's shoulder, and he glanced down to see the butt of Haruka's spear thumping him in the chest insistently.

"Huh?" he blinked stupidly, snapped from his reverie, and shoved the spear shaft away with an irritated frown. "Don't poke me with that thing."

"There's a Sharque threatening my borders; what am I supposed to run you off with?" Rin responded with a rude gesture which Haruka dutifully ignored. "I'll have leave again soon. In case you were wondering."

Rin hadn't been wondering—or hadn't consciously been doing so—but now that Haruka brought it up, he instantly perked up, mind whirring to life with thoughts of the countless adventures awaiting them in the open ocean. Haruka would no doubt want to drop by the Benthos again for more of the mackerel jerky he'd so enjoyed last time, but perhaps they could make time to—

"The reef." Rin blinked; Haruka was picking at a nail with the tapered end of his spear, apparently his idea of 'nonchalant'. Rin might have laughed at the sight had he not been thrown by Haruka's suggestion. "I haven't been since my parents took me as a child; we should go."

It was far—farther than the Benthos by half—but an easily swimmable distance if they wanted to make a day of it, and Rin didn't much care to address the way his heart seemed to float up into his throat at the prospect of spending a day in open waters (a day at _the reef_ no less) with the closest thing he'd ever had to a true companion, one who didn't care (okay, who didn't _know_ ) about his crown or whether or not he showed his face at Court. It was enough that Haruka had brought up the suggestion at all—he'd consider the consequences of his own reaction to the notion later.

He licked his lips and prayed his voice didn't quaver when he responded, "Where shall we meet?"

* * *

The reef wasn't all that particularly special, as far as reefs went—but then, even the dullest of reefs was still rather astounding, and so Rin would not deny that he was as excited to be visiting a section of ocean he hadn't frequented in years—he couldn't remember the last time; he'd been shuttled there as part of a royal procession at an age too young to recall—as he was to be doing so with _Haruka_. The Dolfin seemed rather sheltered, for all his love of solitude and space, and Rin wondered distantly what he'd done when granted leave before if not break free of the borders he guarded so stoically to explore and _enjoy_ the water he claimed to love so.

Something tapped his shoulder, and Rin cocked his head to the side, following Haruka's silent gesturing as they sliced through the water, so close to the surface Rin could almost feel his skin singeing under its baking glare. The Dolfin was pointing to their far left, dark open ocean contrasting with the soft white seabed slowly rising up to their right to meet the shore of the continent. Rin frowned, missing what Haruka seemed so insistent to call his attention to, and was just about to voice his confusion—

—when a great spray of bubbles exploded downward from the surface a few meters away, a gray form torpedoing out from the confusion and powering down into the depths, and out of the murk a group of several more—Rin cursed under his breath— _dolphins_ joined their companions, piercing the boundary between sea and sky with speed that made Rin shudder with a chill despite the warmth of being so close to the surface before crashing back into the water, their incessant grating chatter encouraging their podmates to try as well. 

Rin fixed his gaze ahead, pouring more power into his strokes to surge past the pod, and only noted belatedly that he'd left Haruka behind—not because Haruka hadn't been able to match his speed, but because he'd deliberately banked off to the left in the direction of the dolphins. He grit his teeth, jaw tense as he twisted about with a harsh, "Oi—dammit, _Haru_!" Haruka was a Dolfin—it was one thing for _him_ to dart off and cavort with his cronies, but Rin was having a very difficult time fighting the urge to sink back down as deep as he could handle and set off for the nearest outpost he could reach, where harpoons and spears would keep the animals at bay. A lone Sharque made a tempting target—and Haruka or no, he was very much _alone_.

But he couldn't just abandon Haruka like this—wouldn't show weakness by turning tail and darting off. He was top of the food chain, with quicker wits and reflexes than the animals that shared his domain, and he was _not_ about to be denied a day on the reef with Haruka by _dolphins_. They could damn well find some other crests to surf—the breakers were quite enticing at the cape just to the south, if he recalled correctly. If you were into that sort of thing, that is.

He froze in place, slowly sinking and gills flapping wildly, when Haruka reached the pod, hands running over smooth gray flesh and fingers gripping that long, curved dorsal fin as he allowed himself to be pulled along, and Rin reached a hand out in panic, wanting to warn him not to touch, not to let them drag him away, even though he knew of course that Haruka was a _Dolfin_ , with a natural affinity for the creatures and no cause to fear them or even avoid them like a Sharque might. 

But years of conditioning couldn't be overcome in the span of a few mere moments, and when Haruka directed the pod leader who'd offered him the free ride in Rin's direction, he panicked and scrambled to collect himself to flee, groping at the water to paddle himself around before directing all the energy he could muster into his tail and powering through the water with speed borne of fear. They'd never even made it close enough to catch _sight_ of the reef.

The dolphins, assholes with flippers that they were, seemed to think this some grand game of tag, and the lead pod member, apparently not bothered in the least by his Dolfin passenger, shot off in pursuit with Haruka hanging on with minimal effort as he was dragged along after. Rin grunted in irritation and flattened his arms to his side to minimize his drag as much as possible, but the animal continued to gain, eventually drawing even—and out of the corner of his eye, Rin caught Haruka _rolling his eyes_ at him and jerking a thumb back in the direction he'd just fled. 

Rin shook his head fervently, gaze flicking worriedly back at the pod trailing behind them at a respectable distance, but Haruka just hardened his gaze, snapping a hand out and gripping Rin firmly about the wrist and urging his mount to do an about-face. 

Rin struggled to free himself, twisting and wriggling, but Haruka held fast, jerking him forward as the dolphin sped away and forcing him to grip the dorsal fin. He winced, certain the creature was only biding its time before it whipped around and nipped him with that nasty tooth-lined beak before pummeling him a few good turns.

But it never happened—and shortly (less time than it had taken Rin to flee, even) he found himself deposited unceremoniously in the center of the pod, the other members circling him in a manner more reminiscent of sharks than dolphins. He swallowed thickly, pondering his next move, when a hand came down on his shoulder and squeezed insistently, jerking him around to face forward. "…What the hell is your problem?" The even, almost _bored_ tone belied the sharp words, and Rin straightened up immediately, reminding his gaze not to wander.

"Just…they were…" And he didn't know how to finish, how to explain himself. No Dolfin could possibly understand the wariness Sharques were taught to practice outside their borders, likely hadn't a clue the damage rogue pods had done to his Clansmen. What they'd do to _him_ if he let his guard drop.

Haruka merely rolled his eyes again, releasing the dolphin and leaning forward, pressing himself against its flank and whispering something soft and low—before sending it back to its podmates with a shove. Rin warily allowed himself to drift nearer, worried to be left alone and unconsciously seeking Haruka as shelter against the pod. He kept his eyes trained on the dolphins, now grouping together again as their leader chittered something unintelligible. "Wh…what'd you tell it?"

"Told them to be nice. That they were scaring you."

And Rin bristled at this. "I wasn't—!" he started, but fell silent at Haruka's knowing glance, and he corrected, "You…didn't have to say anything. Surely they taught you something about letting your enemy know your weakness at that Academy of yours."

Haruka lifted a brow and shrugged, pushing off with a beat of his tail toward the pod. "They're not your enemies though; if you don't let them know they're making you uncomfortable, they'll swim all over you."

"Pricks would do that either way," Rin grunted, but still followed with a dark expression on his features. "They're _dolphins_."

"Your point?"

It was obvious they were never going to see eye to eye on this point, so Rin kept his thoughts to himself, keeping a respectable distance behind Haruka as they drew up to the pod again. He hoped whatever business the Dolfin had with these creatures would be over and done with soon; he itched with the urge to make for the reef, already envisioning the nooks and crannies they might find to explore, the bursts of color and life absent from the vast open ocean. He recalled a stretch leading into a deep, freshwater inlet fed by a towering waterfall that crashed down from somewhere high up a cliff—Haruka would _love_ that; Rin doubted he'd ever seen such a thing.

Something bumped him from behind, and he glanced over his shoulder—spine going straight with shock when he realized one of the dolphins had slipped around behind him and was pushing him through the water, its beak wedged in the small of his back to force him forward. He let out a shrill cry of panic that he would later deny (Sharques did not _squeal_ ) and tried to bat it away, but Haruka's reprimand was short and sharp: "Don't be rude; they want you to play with us."

"Pl— _play_?" he squawked indignantly, but stopped trying to slap the dolphin away as a foreboding chill ran down his spine. "Wait— _us_?"

Haruka responded with only a jerk of his head—and in a flash he was off, pelting through the water after the pod's leader up toward the surface. Rin recovered his senses and quickly darted after them, worried that perhaps without Haruka around to tell them otherwise, the remaining dolphins might gang up on him. "Ha— _Haru!_ Don't leave me here, you jerk!"

But Haruka was already too far out to respond—or even hear him, likely—and Rin cursed as he struggled to catch up. The dolphins and Haruka headed for the surface at a shallow angle, each stroke of their tails bringing them closer and closer to the barrier between sea and sky—when of a sudden, the lead dolphin poured even more power into its downstroke and rocketed through the surface, sliding back into the ocean in a white blossom of bubbles mere moments later. Its podmates mimicked the action—and _fuck_ , there went Haruka too, launching himself up through to the surface, arcing gracefully before diving back in again in one fluid, beautiful motion, the water barely rippling when he slipped through, in stark contrast to the dolphins who seemed to view the task of making as magnificent a splash as possible as a challenge.

Rin slowed, openly gaping, before drawing to a full stop, watching the pod and Haruka breach and crash back into the sea a few more times before they banked into a turn and came back Rin's way, this time with Haruka in the lead. They quickly overtook Rin, and Haruka snapped a hand out again, jerking Rin along with him and forcing his tail to stroke the water furiously or risk being tumbled about in the wake of the pod. "Lemme—go you—stupid—idi—" But his curses were lost in the wash of bubbles, and his heart clenched when Haruka only tightened his grip, tugging Rin forward to race along with them, shoulder to shoulder and side by side.

Haruka leaned in close, mouth right by his ear, and urged over the roar of the water washing over them, " _Jump with me_."

But this only made Rin struggle harder—he couldn't jump, couldn't come _close_ to doing what Haruka had done. And it had nothing to do with physiology; he could have been 100% Dolfin through and through, a bored border guard tending the station next to Haruka, and _still_ he doubted he could have executed anything like that. Haruka hadn't even looked like sea Folk anymore—he'd looked like some great seabird, the graceful albatrosses that coasted on the swells rippling off of the waves, hanging there frozen in an arc never to touch the waves crashing below.

He couldn't do that, couldn't do anything remotely close to that—and he didn't want Haruka to _see him_ not being able to do that. 

With a final animalistic grunt, he managed to tug himself free, tumbling as he'd known he would in the wake but quickly righting himself and powering toward the shore where hopefully the pod wouldn't follow him. If he could lose himself in the reef, maybe he—

" _Rin_." A hand on his shoulder, gripping tight and jerking him around to face forward where he found himself pinned between Haruka's arms, fingers digging into the flesh of his shoulder almost uncomfortably. "What's your problem? You're behaving strangely…" Rin swallowed thickly, panic evident in his eyes as he flicked his gaze around trying to locate the pod; Haruka must have noticed, for he reassured softly, "…They're gone. They'd only paused for a bit of recreation on the way to their feeding grounds." He frowned, uncharacteristic sensitivity in his voice, "…They really made you that uncomfortable?"

Rin no longer tried to shake Haruka off, growing weary of this game of catch and release, and he simply stiffened his shoulders and glanced away, muttering pathetically, "Just—you don't know what dolphins do to us…" And for some reason—he hoped Haruka didn't ask. Because Haruka seemed to have been enjoying himself—genuinely got along with the dolphins—and Rin…didn't want to shatter that illusion for whatever reason. He squared himself. "We just don't have a good track record with them. I'm sure you get along with them well enough, but if it's all the same to you, I'd rather not—"

"All right."

Rin blinked, his train of thought interrupted rather abruptly. "All…right? You're not…I dunno, disappointed? That I didn't…" He couldn't even bring himself to word his failure. Crown Prince of the Sharque Clan, undone by a tiny pod of dolphins and distaste for embarrassing himself in front of a companion.

Haruka just shrugged, finally releasing Rin and breezing past him along their initial trajectory, headed once again for the reef. Rin balked, watching him swim away, before shaking himself and continuing behind Haruka's own lazy strokes.

He'd brushed off Rin's dramatic scene as if it were nothing—not because he saw it as nothing, it felt, but simply because Rin had obviously been uncomfortable and Haruka had seen no point in making him more so. The guy could be irritatingly sharp with matters like this, picking up on changes in Rin that Rin himself was loath to acknowledge and automatically altering the conversation or course of activities to accommodate him. Yes—Haruka was always accommodating him, one way or another, bending to whatever whim Rin intimated.

How someone could be _so_ contrary and at the same time so forgiving, so _giving_ was beyond Rin—and he wasn't entirely sure how to properly appreciate it.

* * *

The reef was, Rin decided, the perfect place to come with Haruka—for it embodied him perfectly, being both beautiful and dangerous. They raced over the vibrant topography, coral and anemone and starfish and urchin and sand and shrimp and rock all blurring together as they powered through the water just over the reef, both well aware that one false move could result in serious injury should they brush against the sharp coral or jagged rocks or tempting anemones. 

Rin caught himself wondering absently what Haruka's blood might taste like in the water if he cut himself on one of the twisting turns he seemed to enjoy executing, his stomach leaping with dark interest whenever Haruka banked sharply—but he immediately shuttered the thought when he became conscious of his mind's wanderings.

Gou would have had a _fit_ at the risks he was taking with life and limb (and Nitori would've probably fainted dead away), but Haruka seemed in high spirits (or, as high as his spirits went—which was not very), whether from the thrill of the challenge or the sight of the reef or simply _swimming_. Probably the latter, Rin was learning. 

When they tired of nearly killing themselves darting in and out of the reef's nooks and crannies, they took to lazily exploring, chasing rock lobsters into their caves and trying to catch clownfish before they darted into the safety of their anemones. And while they didn't manage to find the waterfall Rin had hoped to show Haruka before the sun started to dip toward the horizon, warning that their day of adventure was nearly over, Haruka didn't seem too dejected by their lack of success—citing it as reason enough to come back and explore again.

Rin let himself be talked into allowing the dolphins to fetch them lunch from a school of tuna the pod leader had apparently told Haruka they were hunting—only because the only other alternative was to head out to sea to catch something himself or try to nab enough of the little minnows darting about the reef to make a meal of, and it was with no small amount of envy and loneliness that he watched Haruka shoot off into the deep to meet his companions. He could have joined them if he'd had the nerve—but he hadn't, so mooning over his situation was pointless.

"Hostilities suck," Rin grumbled, picking his teeth with a thin rib from the tuna carcass he'd just picked clean; for dolphin bait, it hadn't been horrible. "There are a ton of great places I could take you inside Sharque boundaries." And just in case it sounded like he was bragging, he added, "And I'm sure you could show me a good time inside Dolfin boundaries too."

Haruka's head was settled over his crossed arms, lounging half-atop a rock along the surface—one of many outcroppings this close to shore. "Mmm," was his only response.

"It's just ridiculous—the only reason the Clans can't have peace is because we're both so damn territorial and can't share fishing grounds, and tempers get high when you stick us together." He cast a furtive glance over at Haruka, half-hoping to have their current situation proffered as evidence to the contrary—but when he paused to consider how often he and Haruka had butted heads over the past couple of months, he suspected no such response was forthcoming.

Haruka must have felt Rin's eyes on him, though, for he sighed and allowed evenly, "I suspect it will have to be the Clan rulers who ultimately put an end to these tensions."

Rin blinked dumbly—then bristled. "So you mean to say it's the Royals' fault the hostilities continue?" Haruka hadn't meant it as a slight against Rin himself, to be sure, but it was a broad statement he couldn't allow to slide. "I can't speak for the Dolfins, but I'm quite sure that—"

"I said no such thing," Haruka huffed, irritation evident in his voice, and he shifted his gaze over to meet Rin's, silently daring him to push again. "But issues of this magnitude can hardly be left to the lay-Folk to resolve."

Rin felt the energy being sapped away, as he always did when he argued with Haruka, and he offered weakly, "…Well, what about _us_ then? We're…changing things, I guess." For a very broad definition of 'changing things', he reminded himself. Two random Clansmen managing to find common-enough ground that they didn't resort to tearing into one another was hardly grounds for launching into drafting treaties between the Clans, admittedly.

Haruka seemed to have tired of discussing the point, though, and closed his eyes, effectively ending his side of the discussion as he sunned himself on the rock, tail sweeping lazily through the water as if he couldn't bear being deprived of the sensation of water rushing over him.

Rin let the matter drop, forcing his thoughts to lighter flights of fancy. "Though—I guess if things settled down, we wouldn't need to guard our borders as much." He cocked a brow in Haruka's direction. "Then you'd be out of a job." He snorted to himself. "You probably wouldn't know what to do with yourself." Haruka's brows furrowed, but he said nothing, and Rin supposed he was simply tired of arguing as well. "Or, well—I guess you're not _entirely_ unskilled."

"Thanks," was the dry response, and Rin felt a surge of pride at easing a grudging response from the Dolfin. Victory!

But he hadn't meant it entirely as derisively as it had come out; Haruka did have talents for things other than spear chucking and leaping out of the water like a flying fish, Rin had learned. He'd even caught him shaping a rather passable dolphin out of a mound of clay he'd dug up one afternoon on duty, astounding Rin with his talents (not that Rin had let on as such).

"Ooh, or—" he started, slapping a fist against the rock beneath his belly. If they were going to fantasize here, why not dream big? "—we could go _adventuring_."

"Adventuring?" Haruka repeated, a note of dubious question in his voice. "We're hardly children."

"I'm not talking about pissing around playing squid-and-sperm-whale, I mean like—just travel the open waters, no shelter, only the food you catch with your bare hands. No Clan shit to deal with, having to watch each other's back and support one another. Seeing other Clans' territories, out beyond the deep…" He sighed to himself—it was a pretty picture he painted…but just a picture. The reasons he could never have those adventures—with Haruka or otherwise—were more than he could count on both hands.

He glanced over to gauge Haruka's reaction—frowning when he found the Dolfin napping again, and he whipped his tail up to deliver an insistent _whap_ against Haruka's shoulder, successfully rousing him. "Don't fall asleep on me, jerk."

"Say something more interesting, then."

Rin bristled, "'Scuse me for talking about my life goals." Haruka snorted derisively at this, which genuinely hurt more than irritated, but Rin refused to let on as such, fist clenching at his side. " _What_?"

"No shelter, no food, no clan protection? An _adventure_?" He turned away, settling his head to face away from Rin. "Too annoying." And even though Haruka hadn't said a word, hadn't so much as _hinted_ it, Rin still heard an echo of _your pampered self couldn't handle it, Prince_.

And that was _it_. All he ever seemed to show Haruka was his _bad side_. Too weak to brave the depths, too _frightened_ to breach the surface, too _spoiled_ to survive open waters on his own merits. Haruka was a soldier—one with a rather dull personality, admittedly, but a polished warrior nonetheless, and whether he knew it or not, the gulf stretching between their abilities was abyssal.

And Rin couldn't stop being reminded as such—couldn't stop seeing every failure or shortfall as some strike against his pride, some new way in which he wasn't measuring up to everything Haruka deserved in a companion. 

_So annoying_ , he'd said—and Rin heard in those words the derision against not only his frivolous dreams but his very existence.

He pushed himself up, arm muscles quivering with frustration as much as the effort. " _Annoying_ , am I?" he ground out, and Haruka's shoulders stiffened—but before he could twist around to prod Rin for some explanation to his comment, Rin snapped out a sharp, " _Fine_ ," and shoved himself off the rock, dipping under the surface with Haruka's panicked, "Wai—" ringing in his ears.


	5. Chapter 5

Haruka stabbed two fingers into the clay ball he'd been working at fashioning for the past ten minutes, painstakingly scraping mud from the sea bottom, underneath the thick layer of silt, until he had enough to work with. He carved out a slitted smile for a mouth and held the ball up to examine it.

It grinned blankly back, spoiling his already sour mood, and with an irritated grunt, he tossed it as hard as he could, watching it spin and break apart in the water just beyond the stretch of border he guarded.

It was one week today since Rin abandoned him at the reef, a full seven cycles of days waxing and waning without the grating distraction of the Sharque's presence which Haruka had come to not only expect but almost _enjoy_. He'd never noticed the drab dreariness of border life, seeing the job as simply that and passing the hours in comfortable silence—but when his days had begun to become that much more interesting with a companion to converse with (or rather, to chatter on with little expectation for Haruka to respond; he liked that), the contrast between what was clearly _then_ and _now_ was becoming almost unbearable.

Rin could most certainly be obnoxious, annoying—and his preoccupation with the dolphin pod before had been unsettling—but…he was also vivacious and tenacious, pressing until he got what he wanted, and while Haruka would never admit he enjoyed such persistence, Rin had never steered him wrong in anything he pushed for. With such a track record, it was therefore hard to say that the Sharque's personality wasn't doing him any good. 

And wasn't that what he enjoyed, after all? The break to the monotony he hadn't even realized was there? Could he go back to border life like before, long hours guarding against an invisible threat that would likely never rear its head, staring into the vast blue when their most precious resources were secreted away too deep for any Sharque to dare try for anyway? One week now, and he was already trying to unsuccessfully fashion sculptures of his friend out of clay. What would he do if Rin didn't return in another month? What would he do if Rin didn't return _at all_?

He wanted to hate Rin; wanted to hate him for barging into his life and shaking up the monotony, his appearance like a storm stirring up silt on the quiet sea bottom until everything was murky and confusing and Haruka couldn't tell which way was up until it passed and everything was still and silent again. He missed the storm, now. Missed that heady confusion and frustration and strange new sights and experiences, even if they weren't all positive.

He went stormchasing his next leave.

The Benthos was little changed in the month or so since he'd last come here, a short stop at Rin's suggestion in an effort to curry Haruka's favor and restore his temperament after he'd ridiculed the Dolfin fashion of weaving strands of kelp into their hair. Haruka had had no particular preference either way—his own hair was far too short, even if he'd wanted to try the trend—but the tone in Rin's voice, the derision with which he spoke, sounding ever so haughty and high-born, had grated and turned Haruka's mood sour. As penance, Rin had treated him to a platter of mackerel jerky—even though Rin didn't even like the stuff—and Haruka had forgiven him after wringing another few apologies and offers of second helpings. If Rin could manipulate Haruka into going along with his inane activities, Haruka could do the same in return.

Today, though, the Benthos was remarkably empty, with no obvious customers filtering in or out of the cave mouth, and Haruka paused for a moment in concern—perhaps the place wasn't open for business today? He'd never bothered to check the hours, trusting that Rin knew what he was doing, but here now on his own, he felt decidedly out of place.

With one strong stroke for momentum, he floated up and through the lip of the cave mouth, glancing around in the dimly lit cavern. The walls gleamed with bioluminescence, and he could see now that he wasn't the only customer—there was a Wraye dozing in a corner nook and a Turdle paddling up to the bar—but most of the occupants were giving wide berth to the group taking up most of the far side of the cave.

Sharques—and a rather fair few of them. All burly and decked out in what could only be the gear of royal guards, they cut glances as sharp as their teeth at any who dared give them more than a cursory glance, their presence menacing and unsettling without a word having to be spoken to get their intent across.

Swept his gaze over them before quickly turning back to study the other customers—Rin wasn't with the group, it was plainly obvious; he would have stood out even among such an impressively decked-out squad. It was hard to miss him, after all. With another beat of his tail, he floated over to the bar to address the keeper, who waved him off with an annoyed grunt when it became clear Haruka was not there for an order, only information. When Haruka persisted, asking only for some indication of whether or not he'd seen a Sharque come through in the past week, the burly Orqa had jerked a thumb over at the group making a nuisance of themselves in his eatery and scaring off his customers with a gruff, "If it's Sharques you're interested in, why not ask one of their own?" and shooed Haruka away.

Haruka balked—he wasn't scared, per se, but…he _was_ wary. Rin was one thing, but these guards looked very much like the brutes he'd been trained to fight against at the Academy. He doubted they'd be willing to settle any differences with a simple race if he crossed them—and given the hostilities between their Clans, it would be very easy to cross them without meaning to, he suspected.

But nothing ventured, nothing gained, and they were his best hope to finding out just what had become of Rin. Granted, if anyone had come up to him asking after a random Dolfin clan member, Haruka doubted he would be much help, and therefore didn't hold out hope that this lot would tell him even if they _did_ know why Rin had suddenly abandoned them. 

He wouldn't allow this trip to be for nothing, though, and steeling himself, he executed a stroke to send him floating over to the group. The nearest, a well-built man with striking red hair, was the first to note Haruka drawing near, and true to his position, he was immediately on his guard, placing himself directly in Haruka's path and fixing a stern gaze on him. "Business, Dolfin?" Weapons weren't allowed in the Benthos—but this Sharque didn't look like he needed one to deliver a through thrashing to anyone he came in contact with.

Haruka held off just far enough from the group to be heard while still granting him room to twist and turn tail. He straightened up. "…I'm looking for someone."

The guard snorted softly, lips quirking up into a sardonic grin. "Well I can assure you they're not _here_." He waved a hand. "Now get outta here, or I'll cite you for sniffing at our borders." They were still a good league away from the nearest Sharque outpost, but they were definitely closer to Sharque territory than Dolfin, and it would be Haruka's word against a Sharque Tribunal if it came to it. Not exactly the best odds.

He remained resolute, though, desperation pushing him, " _Please_. He's a Sharque—Rin?"

The guard's expression fell, waxing suspicious, and immediately his companions turned to crowd close as well. "Rin?" He forced a laugh, but it was short and dry this time, devoid of mirth and filled instead with sheer incredulity. "You can't possibly be referring to the Pr—"

" _Ohmygod_ , you're _HIM!_ " shrieked a new voice, and the head guard winced and hissed a labored _Oww!_ as he was summarily elbowed out of the way by a graceful creature with wide, bright eyes and hair the same shocking shade as Rin. The guard grimaced, muttering under his breath before reaching out to keep her from advancing any further, but she slapped his hand away and cut him a sharp glare that warned him to keep his distance. "He's a lone Dolfin, Captain. If he were here to harm me, he wouldn't be looking for my brother."

"Br—other?" Haruka breathed, and now he took this Sharque in anew, recognizing the resemblance immediately. It was hard to miss, now that he knew what to look for, and he began to rearrange the image of Rin in his mind, reconciling the Sharque he knew with _brother_ in light of the new information. He really didn't like things like this being sprung on him out of the blue, if he were honest. 

The Sharque reached a hand out, covered in all manner of finery from wrist to shoulder, and waited for Haruka to take it as she introduced herself with a gentle smile. "I'm Kou. Thank you for always looking after my brother!"

Haruka eyed the extended hand for a long moment before hesitantly reaching forward to take it, ignoring the hissed pleas of, "Lady Gou—you _mustn't_ —"

"Hush now—and I've told you to address me as _Kou_! _Must_ I keep reminding you?" Haruka darted a glance at her entourage—clearly there to watch over her, now—and noticed most of the Sharques quailing under her imperious gaze but for the Captain, who just smiled fondly and shook his head. When she turned back to Haruka, though, her expression was all grace and dignity, a bright smile on her features, and eventually she seemed to tire of waiting for Haruka to complete the niceties and reached forward to take his hand in her own, shaking it to impress upon him her goodwill. "It's so very nice to meet you, Haruka-san!"

"You…know my name," he muttered stupidly, still a bit bowled over. There was no doubt that this Kou was related to Rin with the way she seemed to get what she wanted in the end, even if her methods involved more finesse than her brother. 

She nodded. "My brother speaks often of you—and highly as well. I must confess I've been ever so curious about you, but I never thought I'd actually run into you in person!" She raked a quick glance over him, flushing and muttering under her breath about _fantastic pectorals…_ before she seemed to collect herself with another gleaming smile. "He'll be terribly sad he missed you!"

Haruka stiffened, expression growing cold. "…Will he, then?" 

Kou seemed to realize she'd treaded where she ought not have, for her face fell and she apologized reflexively, "Oh—my apologies. Is there something…" She trailed off in confusion before her eyes widened in recognition. "Oh—oh yes, you mentioned…you were looking for him." She brought her hand to her lips and cast a furtive glance back at her escorts. "Did you…have plans to meet here, or something?"

Haruka shook his head shortly. "No, I…we haven't spoken in…some time." He wouldn't embarrass himself by stating the exact number of days, which he'd kept careful track of. "I didn't think it the wisest idea to go asking at the Sharque border gates, and this was the only other place I knew he came, so…"

"No," she chuckled softly, eyes going to the bands on his arm that clearly marked him as military and the stripes on his shoulder that indicated his current post as a border guard. "No, I suppose it wouldn't have been a terribly good idea to do that…"

Haruka eyed her warily. "…So?" Her attention snapped back to him, eyes wide and wondering. "Will you tell me where he is? Why he's refused to come see me?" Kou appeared to waver, her mouth opening and closing as if she were picking and choosing the words to use, and Haruka pressed, "Please—I just…" He grimaced and glanced away, calming his tone. "I…think I might have offended him. I didn't want to leave things on bad terms."

If she took pity on him, though, her evasive response didn't show it, as she offered, "I'm sorry, but—I honestly don't really see my brother all that much. Our work has us…moving in different circles, I suppose."

Haruka locked eyes with her, straining to divine her meaning. "…Work?" He cocked his head. "…And what _exactly_ is it that he does?"

She flushed and glanced back over at other Sharques, who seemed to be growing more and more on edge with each passing moment, and her words came in a nervous flood, "Oh—I mean, it's not a normal job, really, and it's rather difficult to describe, I think. I really don't see him all that often, so I can't honestly tell you where he's gone off to, but I'm sure he'll see it in himself to forgive you—that is, if you truly did anything to offend. My brother, you see, he's very quick of temper and sometimes he just needs time to cool down. I'm sure that's all that's—"

"Whatever," Haruka snapped gruffly, rolling his eyes and waving her off with a last glance to the Captain, ducking a nod of respect before he made for the cavern entrance.

"Wai—Haruka-san!" Kou called out, earning a sharp glance from the Orqa at the bar for disturbing the peace of his eatery even further, and when Haruka complied, rolling in the water to stall his momentum, she offered the only thing she probably could: "I'll…talk to my brother, if you like? I'll send him to you if I can, I promise."

Haruka looked her over, weighed his chances, then muttered just loud enough for her to hear, "Don't bother," adding to himself, "Friendships are too damned annoying…"

* * *

"A _border guard_ , Oniichan?! Are you _insane_?"

Rin winced, grumbling under his breath; it wasn't that he'd been _trying_ to keep Haruka's occupation from her, he'd just…neglected to mention it. Mostly because he knew she'd overreact, like she was doing. "I have all my wits about me, I'm sure you'll be pleased to know. I'm perfectly aware of who he is and what he does."

"Oh—well that's grand then," she offered icily. "And have you thought to grant him the same?"

Rin stiffened, sweeping through the water to hastily shut the doors to his chambers; conversations like this wouldn't do for others to overhear. "You seriously think I'd tell a random Dolfin that I'm the Crown Prince of the Sharque Clan?"

"No," she returned, "But Haruka-san is hardly a 'random Dolfin', and I don't think he'd care about your title itself so much as what it would look like."

"Look like?" His lip curled viciously. "And what exactly would it _look like_ , then?"

She crossed her arms, not about to be intimidated, and swam up close in his face. "Meeting with a Dolfin is bad enough for someone of your station—but a border guard? You realize if you're caught with him it could be interpreted as an act of war, right?"

Rin simply snorted, flicking her squarely in the center of her forehead and brushing past. "Mackerel jerky on the surface and chasing schools of tuna together? Oh yes, I'm _definitely_ sounding the conchs of war here." He broke into a series of chuckles at his own sharp wit, more than pleased with himself.

"I'm _serious_ , Oniichan—Haruka-san certainly seemed nice enough—"

"You _definitely_ didn't meet the Haruka I know then."

"— _but_ others certainly won't be inclined to see beyond his rank. There are warmongers on the council right now, you know. They're _itching_ for an excuse to escalate hostilities, and border guards are as much a part of the Dolfin military as any other branch. What if—" She waved a hand, "I don't know, what if he gets sent to settle a conflict all because of _your_ foolish actions?" Rin blanched, the color fading from his face. "What if he gets hurt in some skirmish because you didn't take the risks you're dealing with seriously enough?"

Rin's gaze lost focus, and he glanced about the room, unsure of what to do with himself. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate the risk—far from it; pissed as he'd been at Haruka (albeit indirectly at himself), he'd taken the time since they'd last spoken as a chance to collect himself as much as an opportunity to show his face about Court more, to regain some of the trust he'd squandered with his almost daily trips to the border and dispel suspicion that had fallen on him of late. He _despised_ Court life, had no idea how he was going to handle the throne when it eventually, inevitably fell to him—Gou was ten times the Royal he was, far more suited to the task, in his opinion—but if he wanted to keep his chain loose, he needed to demonstrate that he wasn't afraid to wear it. 

Gou drew close again, one hand on his shoulder as she ducked her head to look him in the eye. "I'm not…saying to cut ties with him, you know? You just…need to be more subtle about it, that's all. No more of this border foolishness so close to Dolfin territory, and maybe stay away from places you might be recognized? Sharques so rarely travel alone these days, you tend to stick out—especially when you're keeping company with a Dolfin.

He nodded reluctantly, and with a final squeeze to his shoulder and a whispered teasing, "He's rather handsome, though," she swept past him and out the door. Rin watched her go with a frown—just what he needed, his sister _ogling_ Haruka—before his thoughts turned inward, and dark.

She'd been right—he didn't have to stop seeing Haruka; there were ways to slip unnoticed from the castle, secret points at which they might rendezvous on the days Haruka could beg off for leave…

But he would cease this, regardless. He would cause no more trouble—not for his family, not for his Clan, and not for Haruka. Sooner or later, they would slip up; Nitori would finally manage to tail him, or he'd show up at the border just as Haruka was undergoing inspection, or someone would recognize Rin outside Sharque territory and send it back up the gossip chain to his father's ear—and Haruka would feel the brunt of any punishment, one way or another.

He would not be party to this any further, he resolved, and buried the frustration and disappointment that clenched his heart under the burnished bronze of a fine gorget as he began to dress for Evening Court.


	6. Chapter 6

It was in the week that followed Rin's rather reluctant decision to confine himself to the castle and cut ties with certain members of the Dolfin Clan border patrol that he was reminded of how exceedingly _dull_ Court life was. He had no real responsibilities as of yet and could therefore not even distract himself with more serious matters of preparing to receive his father's crown, instead finding himself cloistered in the studies and gardens of nobility seeking to climb the ladder and into the good graces of the Royal family. Afternoons passed at a snail's pace, the endless chatter and gossip a grating contrast to Haru's quiet demeanor. _He'd_ always been the one to fill the endless, empty silence, and stuck here amongst so many bottom-feeders, he wondered if _this_ was how Haru felt around him: disillusioned, trapped, suffocated.

He'd nearly broken early on, unable to keep his self-made promise, but quickly learned that, even if he'd truly _wanted_ to leave, it would no longer be nearly as easy to give his monitors the slip as before. His personal security and the Clan's own border patrol had been tightened after reports of a Dolfin near Sharque waters—the Captain of the squad that had been accompanying Gou had been very thorough, it seemed—and members of the castle guard retinue had been ordered to make regular patrols of the waters just beyond their borders to turn away any unsavories who floated too close for comfort. 

The salons Rin found himself being dragged off to—by Gou if she was feeling charitable, by Nitori if she wasn't—were abuzz with gossip about the heightened security, each tale crafted to explain it altogether more fantastic than the last, and Rin had to fight rolling his eyes at the ridiculous notions these nobles sometimes entertained. Haru was actually part Orqa, wider across the shoulders than two of their own guard; Haru was some super-soldier the Dolfins were training up in the hopes of staging an assault on the castle in the dead of night, a coup that would have them all speaking Dolfin come morning (never mind that the Dolfins mostly spoke Common Tongue, just like all the other Folk Rin had ever encountered); Haru was engaging in secret trysts with the Princess in an effort to lure her into a false treaty between the Clans which the Dolfins would subsequently use to storm the borders, catching their Clan unawares.

It was unbearable; perhaps if he'd had some manner of distraction, then he could have coped, but the training he'd thoroughly neglected already had now been put off indefinitely, all able-bodied soldiers mustered to border posts or open-water patrols, leaving _Nitori_ the only one remotely skilled with hand-blades on the palace grounds, and Rin would sooner settle on the surface and wait for the gulls to peck at his remains than give Nitori the pleasure of his company. A fine scribe he was, but his presence could be absolutely overwhelming at the best of times, little better than the fawning nobility he already found himself cursed with entertaining.

And so the days continued to pass interminably, until one morning, when the dawn—denoted only by the familiar ringing of gongs from criers throughout the capital, for little light could reach them in their depths—approached for what felt like the hundredth time since he and Haru had parted ways but had likely only been a month or so, he resolved with a heavy sense of finality to do the last honorable thing he likely would before Court life drained him dry.

It wasn't right, he reasoned to himself, to leave Haru sitting there, alone at his post, thinking Rin had abandoned him, to leave his closest friend thinking Rin had been so shallow as to pitch a fit and resolve never to speak to him again. He didn't want that to be the memory Haru had of him—and he certainly didn't want it getting around the Dolfin clan that _oh that new Sharque King? He's a flaky asshole_ when he eventually succeeded his father. He'd put this whole affair to rest as best he could without reopening wounds—and it was with these words to himself that he darted out of the castle before it could come to life.

He avoided the servants' quarters—they would have been up for hours already and sure to notice him trying to slip by—instead taking riskier routes through the Royals' wing until he'd managed to find himself in the bailey, now empty of training recruits with the heightened security. The walls that bounded the bailey were purely for privacy, the true barricade to unwanted entry present in the form of the sentries lining the top of the wall, armed to the teeth. 

But those sentries were few and far between at this hour, most in the mess tearing into their breakfast, and with one of the few traits all his own that he could be truly proud of—his _speed_ —Rin was up and over the wall in the dim light before the sentry nearest him could notice more than the faint trail of bubbles he left in his wake.

* * *

The dolphin pod was easy to find. They seemed to have found a feeding ground that could support them not too far off of the Reef and were patrolling their waters rather diligently—which Rin was not too terribly thrilled with. It had been harrowing enough approaching the animals with Haru there to fend them off should they get too aggressive. Now, though, he was very much alone, and very much doing a foolish thing in approaching a foreign pod that would likely knock him against the rocks as soon as hear him out.

He kept his distance after spotting a lone forager, hanging just far enough away as to avoid any unnecessary challenge but near enough to keep it in eyesight, and in short order, it swam off to rejoin its podmates. Rin tore through the water after it, only slowing when the pod itself came into view, a group of some twenty or so animals that could do him serious damage (especially winded as he was, after the long swim out here). Careful to appear as unthreatening as possible, he kept his distance and called out to the pod, feeling altogether ridiculous shouting through the water, his voice traveling a far shorter distance than he'd hoped, as he prayed the animals paid him attention—and understood his plea.

His presence did not go unnoticed, to both his relief and despair, and in short order, the pod's leader—the show-off that had demanded Haruka's attention to _play_ , he recalled bitterly—had approached him, directing its podmates to circle Rin threateningly. He held his hands up, trying to appear as meek as possible, and floated in silence while the dolphin chattered angrily at him. 

"I don't _speak_ Dolfin," he tried to explain, grumbling under his breath. He was positive he'd caught Haruka communicating on his end with the animals via the Common Tongue, but if he was going to be expected to get his message across through some complicated series of clicks and whistles, then this whole excursion had been for naught. "Just—I need you to get Haruka a message. The Dolfin you guys played with out here before? Can you do that?" The dolphin jerked its head about, waving a flipper at Rin in what he could _swear_ was a rude gesture. In response, he slowed his speech and raised his voice as if speaking to a child: " _Do. You. Understand?_ Fucking dolphins. Oughta tear you a new blowhole."

And now it was _definitely_ miming something rude, but then it chattered something to the podmates circling Rin, and in a flash, they dispersed, leaving the leader alone painting lazy circles around him with one cold, black eye on him at all times. He supposed this meant it was listening, waiting for him to deliver whatever message he needed relayed, and he took a deep breath, letting the cool wash of water over his gills bring him some measure of calm. It didn't work.

* * *

Getting back into the castle was a much greater challenge than getting out had been, as a bulletin had been put out on him, nobles he'd been scheduled to lunch with _frantic_ for their Prince's return. Guards he'd been able to slip past going out were much more alert to anything trying to come _through_ their borders, and so he was left with little choice but to present himself properly—which prompted a flurry of questions and concerns that he brushed off under the guise of 'disdainful royalty', ignoring their worried _Highness, surely you didn't leave without a retinue of guards…?_ and demanding easy passage back to the palace. The suspicions and curious gazes no longer troubled him; he had no reason to care if they placed extra guards on him in the future, for he would never have cause to dip one fin out of bounds again. At least, not without the weight of a crown on his head.

He instructed his bodymen to ensure he wasn't disturbed for the rest of the evening, citing some manner of stomach upset, and confined himself to his quarters, praying none of the soldiers' gossip reached his father's—or Gou's—ear. While he didn't care if the was forbidden from leaving again without an escort, he didn't relish the thought of another long, drawn-out lecture on propriety befitting a Royal. 

The dolphins, if they could be trusted, would see his message relayed to Haruka as best they could—and even if they couldn't be trusted, Rin didn't exactly have any further recourse. He'd done his part, had his fun, and risked everything for his own selfish enjoyment. Tensions were too high between their clans to permit even the Crown Prince to do as he pleased—even if he very, _very_ much pleased, and if he'd screwed up his relationship with Haruka through nothing short of a temper tantrum, well he only really had himself to blame. Gou had warned him, and his own conscience had told him he was risking too much for too little. Haruka was _Haruka_ , but he had a Clan to watch out for, and if he was a threat to its continued peace himself, then he had to take actions to ensure he was 'taken care of'.

It was with dark, depressing thoughts filtering through his mind that Rin finally drifted to sleep—but his dreams provided little respite tonight.

* * *

He awoke to clanging—the loud, sharp dinging of alarm gongs propagated throughout the guard towers to set the palace security on alert, and Rin leapt to consciousness with a start, glancing around and gills flapping frantically against his sides. He'd been found out, war was coming, the soldiers were being mustered, Haruka was being summoned to join his own ranks, there would be blood in the water soon—

Banging on his door jostled him from his gloomy apprehensions, and he called for entrance—it was a young palace guard, obviously greener than the kelp forests near the shores of the island.

"Highness, please—for your own safety, you've been asked to stay in your quarters."

"What for? What's going on out there?" He tried to peek around the guard—but only caught more rustling in the hallway and fizzing bubbles as Sharques flitted to and fro in and out of the Royals' wing. "I heard the alarms."

A nod. "It's nothing for you to be concerned with—"

"I'll be the judge of that," Rin interrupted stiffly, smelling an opportunity to intimidate this recruit into spilling what was going on, when a more seasoned soldier likely would have remained firm unless directly ordered to give details.

"Y—yes sir, of course Your Highness—it's, well, it's just—" Rin raised a brow, arms crossed impatiently. "There's…a Dolfin."

The blood fled from Rin's face, washing over pale as he parroted back, "A…Dolfin?"

Another nod. "Just outside the front gates. And he's got dolphin escorts…" The recruit was clearly uncomfortable with this bit, and Rin couldn't blame him. He could practically hear the guard's relief that he had been asked to hold back at the palace and not ordered to the border to deal with the threat. "Supposedly he's seeking admittance to the palace—demanding a Royal audience." He rubbed at the back of his neck. "From the sound of it, he's unarmed, and he's in open waters still, hasn't tried to cross the border by force, but…he's refusing to leave."

Rin frowned. "So run him off; we've done worse to other Folk further from our borders." He snorted. "Or are the dolphins too intimidating for our prime Sharque troops?"

At this, the recruit bristled. "Hardly!" before seeming to recall his place and adding more meekly, "…Sir. But—unarmed as he is and not making any hostile threats…there's the strong likelihood any attempt to roust him could be seen as aggression on our part, and Dolfins aren't like most other Folk that we can so easily offend them by behaving rashly." He punctuated this admission with a deferential, "Though I'm sure you're more than aware of that, Highness."

"Yeah…" he admitted, pursing his lips.

"But—I only came to ask that you remain in your room until we've seen off the Dolfin; guards have already been sent to rouse the King and—"

"No!" he snapped, hands whipping out to grab the poor recruit by both shoulders to shake him. He immediately recovered his senses, releasing the Sharque as quickly as he'd grabbed him, and amended, "Just—no, no, tell the others to stand down, not to wake my father." He squared his jaw and made sure the recruit understood this was not a request. "I'll handle this. Have the sentries at the border grant the Dolfin passage to the palace, and then send him here."

"Wha… _here_ , Sir? As in…this room?" A nod. "But—" He laughed a bit uneasily, "That's…highly unwise; certainly at the very least the Receiving Room would be—"

"I won't have this becoming an issue by receiving him where the entire Clan can gawk at him. Surely you can see his mere presence would foment _talk_ , correct?" The guard nodded hurriedly, a bit overwhelmed by the situation now. "Excellent—then I can trust you'll pass the word along?" The guard seemed to hesitate a bit, unsure, and Rin couldn't blame him, slipping off one ring and folding it into the recruit's palm. "It has my seal on it; they'll believe you, or they'll be sorely punished for it later."

The recruit flushed with pride, nodding more firmly now, and in a flash of bubbles he was gone.

* * *

It was Haruka, of course.

Rin had had to assure the green little recruit several times over that, Dolfin or no, unarmed as Haruka was, he wasn't going to be able to harm Rin, and if he liked, he could linger outside the chamber, but he was of no mind to be disturbed while he interrogated the 'interloper', and with a finality that spoke more of relief than confidence, he shut the door behind his unexpected guest.

In the time it had taken the guard to relay Rin's orders to the border, Rin had decked himself out in all of the trappings of royalty—armguards and gorget of burnished gold, shell beadings woven into his hair, handsome tiara of coral studded with gems—resolved to face Haruka as what he was, deep down, if this was how things were going to have to be. He hadn't the slightest clue how the Dolfin had misinterpreted a message of _I'm sorry, I can't see you; please don't try to find me_ as _Come storm the Sharque palace and demand to be given Royal audience for your own selfish desires_ , but he suspected something could have gotten lost in translation and chose to blame the messengers. He hoped that, if nothing else, the border patrols had skewered Haruka's escort and were enjoying them for lunch.

Haruka, though, didn't seem put off in the least by Rin's appearance, instead lazily painting a track around Rin's expansive rooms, pausing to peek out windows or tap at glass casings housing lanternfish which flitted about in fright, sending their dim light bouncing about the room. He didn't suppose Dolfins had much need for such artificial light, as they tended to populate shallower waters than the Sharque Clan occupied—themselves only able to do so comfortably because of the nearby vents—and under different circumstances, he might have liked to have given Haruka the grand tour, holding races along the castle perimeter and mock battles in the bailey. As it was, though, Haruka had come knocking on his door, for all intents and purposes, and now they floated here at odds—Rin as a Prince, and Haruka as an enemy soldier.

Rin swallowed thickly, eyes narrowing, when Haruka drifted silently over to his desk, fingering an oil pencil whose shaft had been carved into a delicate design. "…So how long have you known?"

Haruka didn't turn, holding the pencil close for further examination. "From the beginning. As soon as I saw you."

Rin's frown deepened, teeth gritting. " _How_?"

Haruka traced the carvings on the pencil, a light, excited flush on his cheeks—and against all logic, Rin felt a stirring longing to offer the implement to him as a gift. Maybe he would, later. As goodbye. "Academy recruits are often drafted to work political events as crowd control. I've been to Royal functions before—and Sharques are so gaudy in their trappings…" He trailed off and cast an eye over his shoulder. "…You're kind of hard to miss."

Rin felt his face heating in offense, and his fingers immediately went up to grope at the body jewelry covering him at the moment, feeling of a sudden ashamed of his decision to welcome Haruka dressed like this—but all the same, he didn't want to take it off; it felt a bit like armor in this context, and without it…without it he'd just be Rin. And he couldn't _be_ that Sharque, couldn't be _just Rin_ , standing here telling Haruka they couldn't be around each other anymore. He had to be the Crown Prince explaining to an unruly border guard from a rival clan the countless treaties he was jeopardizing by daring to trespass in their waters.

He opted to change the subject instead. "…Suppose you got the message, then."

"I'm surprised they listened to you; they called you stuck-up and untrustworthy."

Rin sputtered most unbecomingly, spitting, "Fucking dolphins."

Haruka shrugged, slipping the pencil back into its holder. "They weren't incorrect. You were hardly entirely truthful with me." He didn't sound offended, and somehow that seemed to hurt _more_ than if he'd come at Rin with rage and hurt in his voice. He didn't want to be the only one here having an emotional meltdown because of ridiculous notions like propriety and treaties that meant nothing and clan warfare built on little more than bruised pride and territoriality. 

But Haruka was here; he was here, had come here seeking passage to the palace. Had come here, even though Rin had explicitly _told him_ they could not see each other any more. That…had to count for something, right?

Rin glanced away, trying to affect disinterest. "Well—I couldn't just _tell you_ who I was."

"Why not?"

His head whipped around so quickly the bits of hair not weighed down with beads or tied back with strapping hung weightless in the water for a moment before floating back down. "B—because!" He groped for an excuse. "Because…because—well, just. I wasn't supposed to be there." His words trailed off into a mumble, and he began to fidget uncomfortably.

"You thought I would report you?" Calm, even; it didn't sound like a question—because it wasn't. He was leading Rin along like a child, trying to show him the ridiculous errors in his logic.

"N—of course not. No."

"So then?"

And Rin had had quite enough of being patronized. He growled, "Just—what are you even _doing_ here?" He looked Haruka over once—then again, for good measure, and lifted his lip into a sneer. "You're causing an interwater incident, you know? You're probably gonna get fired."

Haruka seemed unruffled by this threat, floating now over to Rin's jewelry closet and piecing through the unlocked ring case, turning pieces over for inspection before carefully replacing them just as he'd found them. They were mostly rubies, garnets; he didn't think any of them suited Haruka. "I was getting bored patrolling the same post every day. We're only mandated a year of service. Maybe I'll set off for open waters and go adventuring." He slipped on a ring, wiggled his fingers, and then tugged it off again. "Someone told me it might be fun."

Rin snorted at the reminder, unable to help himself, and allowed himself to float closer, arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against a pillar, watching Haruka blithely piece through his jewelry. "Well, I'm afraid you'll have to find another Sharque to watch your back should you decide to set out on this quest of yours. As you can see, I'm indisposed."

Haruka snapped the case shut again with a loud _clap_. "Why did you suggest it in the first place, then?"

Rin jolted in place at the sound, but remained cool as he could. "…Just wishful thinking. That's all."

Haruka turned to lock eyes with him, and in his gaze, Rin felt the chill of the depths they swam at. "Then you'd like to do that, if you could?"

"Wh…what difference does it make?" he returned. "I _can't_. There's no point in wishing."

But for all the logic in his statement, he still felt something bitter in his mouth when he reminded Haruka as such, discomfort only compounded when Haruka visibly slumped, shoulders sagging, as he mumbled, "…Makes a difference to _me_."

The dejection was contagious, and Rin felt the royal air he tried to affect deflating. "…Well, I mean—sure. Being free like that, able to do what I want with no one to answer to, able to…swim like that, wherever I want, with someone who appreciates it as much as I do, who shows me new things and enjoys being shown them in return…" He shrugged. "Of course I'd like it…" He didn't bother fighting the secret little smile; Haruka wouldn't call him on it at least. "A whole hell of a lot, actually." When he glanced back up, though, he recovered himself and pursed his lips. "If wishes were Horzes, I suppose."

Haruka seemed to ponder the logic of his statement, drifting now over to the window and peering out over the palace walls and into the sprawl of life and culture beyond. "…There are warmongers in your Clan."

"There are warmongers in _your_ Clan," Rin returned stiffly; he wouldn't have this devolve into petty sniping about which clan was more at fault for the hostilities.

"So there cannot be peace."

Rin felt that familiar wave of helplessness wash over him again, admitting, "…No. Not at the snap of a finger at least, I'm afraid."

Haruka nodded, and Rin watched curiously as his hands made fists at the sill before relaxing again. He was usually so calm and collected, never this tense. "…Well, I'm probably going to get demoted anyway. Or relieved of my position at the very least." He cocked his head in thought. "And open water is open water, so…maybe."

Rin frowned. "Maybe what?"

"Maybe—" Haruka explained slowly, approaching Rin directly now. "—we can go get mackerel jerky again."

Rin pulled back, confused. "You…what are you suggesting?" He didn't see any way out of this, and he didn't appreciate Haruka insinuating there was; it was cruel at best. "I've just told you, I can't—"

"I'm suggesting—" he interrupted, "—that you tell your border patrol not to give me such a hard time next time. Perhaps if I had a warmer welcome, I wouldn't feel the need to come with an escort." He frowned, and added. "And it's cold in the deep away from your vents; leave word to let me through so I don't have to wait next time."

And now Haruka was just being _difficult_. "Y—you can't come here again though—"

"Why not? I've seen the treaties, studied them almost religiously even. I know it's not forbidden." He added with a pointed glance. "Just very, very difficult. Which is why you're going to make it easy for me."

" _Easy_ for—"

"I expect it will be even easier for you to admit a Dolfin through your borders when I lose my post. Which as you yourself said, I likely will."

"But—you _like_ your post," Rin sputtered, tiring of Haruka's cool, even interruptions throwing him off balance. "You're already endangering your livelihood enough by coming here. Just—" He waved an arm. "Get back to your clan and guard your stupid section of ocean and—"

And suddenly Haruka was on him, over him, fingers gripping and digging into his biceps as he bore down upon Rin with unexpected aggression; he hadn't even seen the guy move, let alone been prepared for the assault. His voice, though, was low and soft and dangerous. "I think I like you more, though." And Rin shut right up, releasing bubbles of shock that disappeared into the brine between them. He could feel his gills flapping frantically, and every muscle in his body wanted to shove Haruka away, some sense of urgency prodding him to call for the guard he knew was lurking just outside his door

But he did none of these things, just let himself get lost in the welcome discomfort of Haruka's fingers pinching into him, reminding him where he was, and the way his eyes glittered with anger, like he _hated_ how much he liked Rin. "You're—annoying. And crass. And _loud_." Rin wanted to protest that he was most certainly _not_ loud, but he was distracted by the guilty flush to Haruka's cheeks. "…But now I've gotten used to it. It's…too quiet when you're not around now."

And that made absolutely no sense; he'd likely gone for months of monotony before Rin had had the misfortune of drifting into his life. Sure, Rin was feeling just about the same way, finding the chores he'd gotten through with minimal complaint now almost _unbearable_ simply because he now had something to compare it to and found his old life sorely wanting—but he was himself, and Haruka had…no reason to miss Rin nearly as much as Rin missed him.

"I love my Clan," Haruka assured him. "Without them, I'd be lost. I'm…not like you, I think." He frowned. "I can't swim alone, I…I need others with me. I need a pod. But—" He steeled himself. " _because_ I love them, I want to help them—and I think there are better ways to go about that that don't involve being chained to a post for the better portion of the day."

Rin tried to process what Haruka was suggesting, still not entirely sure he understood let alone agreed. Haruka's fingers loosened at his biceps, sliding down to grip his forearms and twisting his arms to tempt Rin to hold him in the same fashion. "Rulers…are supposed to lead by example, right?"

"I…suppose," he allowed warily.

Haruka released him with a squeeze, floating just out of arm's reach and extending one hand, all but begging Rin to take it. "Then let's set one. Rin."

A long moment passed in silence between them, the little lantern fish lazily flitting about their encasements and painting strange patterns on the walls, reflected in the determined glint of Haruka's eyes and the burnished gold of Rin's bands and bangles. 

But he eventually took it in the end.


	7. Epilogue

Rin frowned, giving a flick of his tail to shake off the dolphins nipping at him and watched a flash of gray dart away into the depths, having successfully annoyed him for the umpteenth time in the last hour. He slapped a fist against the water in irritation, splashing up a spray that pelted his companion, and then winced in apology, "Ah—sorry…" before explaining, "But they're annoying the crap out of me! Can't you _say_ something to them?"

Haruka's face was a blank mask as he floated on his back on the surface and soaked in the warm rays, moving only to wipe away the water Rin had splashed on him in his little tantrum. "Why would I say anything? They like you."

Rin angled his neck, trying to peer down to ensure none of the pod were on their way up to harass him again. "Sure have a shit way of showing it," he muttered. The glare of the late afternoon sun on the water made it difficult to see more than the length of his tail, and he eventually gave up, draping himself over the piece of driftwood he'd found.

Haruka snorted softly—something he'd picked up from Rin, apparently, which Rin wasn't entirely sure he liked. "How would you prefer to be shown affection?"

And Rin snapped up straight, face going blank and eyes widening—because how was he supposed to take _that_? Between the whole 'storming the Sharque castle' incident and Haruka practically demanding Rin find a way for them to still spend time together, their relationship was murkier than the shallows after a storm—and Haruka's less-than-sparkling personality wasn't exactly helping matters. 

He swallowed thickly and fell back on his standby response caked in layers of bravado—safe, nothing to stir the waters. "Well," he began, being sure his tone was laced with superiority, "My subjects tend to just prostrate themselves before me and offer jewels of untold worth."

"Sorry," was Haruka's quick response, delivered on his back as he floated unaffected, eyes closed and seeming half-asleep. "No jewels on me."

Rin rolled his eyes; it was clear that witty repartee was never going to be a part of their conversations. "Then I guess we'll need to work out some other method of exchange."

And here, Haruka opened one eye, training it on Rin with such intensity he felt he must finally understand what prey felt like when a predator locked on them—and Dolfins could be damn effective predators. Rin coughed softly and glanced away, feigning an attempt to ensure no dolphins were powering up from the depths to nip at his tail again.

Ripples in the water slapped against him, and when Haruka spoke again, his voice was softer, lower, but just as flat and even. "…You're not very good at this."

Rin grit his teeth, jaw clenching tight in irritation, because it _wasn't fair_ that he was always the emotional one, the one getting worked up and thrown off-course. He wanted to be able to shake up Haruka once in a while. "I'm actually _quite_ good at this," he insisted shortly, adding with no small amount of petulance, "…It's just _you_."

"Ah," was Haruka's measured response, and he closed his eyes again, floating in silence while Rin stewed with his own, frantic thoughts racing around his mind. He bore the awkward tension remarkably well—for another minute or so, before growling low in his throat and snapping a hand out to grip Haruka by the neck and drag him close, breaths coming in great, panting pulses of water washing over his gills as he groped for his next move.

It helped nothing that Haruka let it all happen, allowing Rin to jerk him so close their noses nearly brushed and just staring straight ahead, unruffled and unmoved as he waited for Rin to collect himself and make the next move.

Rin swallowed thickly, unsure of where to focus his gaze, because everywhere seemed _wrong_ —not Haruka's eyes, because it felt like Haruka could _see through him_ sometimes into all of the inappropriate thoughts he found himself entertaining; not Haruka's _lips_ because that was compounding problems upon problems. There was no right move with Haruka, because he couldn't _read_ him, couldn't get a grasp on him, on how to bend him to Rin's will, and he wasn't used to not being in control. He hated this kind of _freedom_ Haruka seemed made up of and longed for something sure and certain.

Haruka sighed softly to himself, shoulders slumping, and he reached forward with so much more surety than Rin possessed and threaded his fingers curiously through the strands of hair brushing the nape of Rin's neck, massaging the little bony knob until Rin calmed. "I thought Sharques were supposed to be ruthless," he teased dryly, which only served to exacerbate Rin's irritation. "Taking what they want…"

Rin hoped the flush creeping onto his cheeks and down his neck burned Haruka; it would serve him right. "Maybe you don't know half as much about Sharques as you'd like to think, then," he countered, thought it came out with something of a whine, and Rin just wanted to sink into the depths. He always only ever showed Haruka his ugly side; it was a wonder the guy put up with him.

But Haruka was not to be put off, and he rumbled, "Mm…guess not." And then he was there, right in Rin's face, forcing his gaze up to meet Haruka's because there was really nowhere else _for_ it to go, and he kept staring straight through Rin, into his core, as he brushed their lips together with _meaning_ , inhaling sharply and setting Rin to jerking closer instinctively. "So teach me."


End file.
